Wearing a Sunflower Lanyard lets us know that you may have a hidden disability or additional needs. This helps our colleagues offer appropriate support throughout your journey.
Sunflower Lanyards are free and available from Assistance Desks in every terminal. If you're unsure where to find one, any member of staff in purple uniform will be happy to help.
We understand airports can sometimes feel overwhelming, with many sensory triggers. To support our passengers who struggle with this, we offer free sensory packs.
What’s in your pack:
You can use feelings cards to show Heathrow colleagues how you are feeling.
If you use one of our packs, we would love to hear your anonymous feedback. This will help us improve the packs to better support your needs.
The Explorer Passport helps autistic and neurodivergent children prepare for the airport journey in a fun and engaging way. Interactive activities, quizzes, and challenges let users explore what to expect at the airport. This helps children build confidence, know what to expect and make travel feel more familiar.
Download the Explorer Passport and complete it at home, at your own pace. Exploring the activities together before your journey can help children feel more prepared. You're welcome to bring the Passport with you to the airport and use it as you travel through the terminal.
The Flight Ready Programme offers free airport tours for autistic and neurodivergent individuals.
The programme lets you explore the airport in a calm and supportive environment.
A step by step breakdown of the airport experience can help you to feel more confident and comfortable when you travel.
What you'll experience:
When possible, we aim to include a cabin mock-up exercise in your tour. This helps you explore what it’s like to be inside of a plane. We cannot guarantee this experience for every session.
Tours take place in Terminal 5 and last for around four hours.
Sessions take place quarterly and we run them in partnership with British Airways. There are limited tour places which are chosen via a ballot system.
Upcoming dates for the programme:
We will share 2027 programme dates on this page soon.
The Flight Ready Programme is for those aged five or over. Those aged 5 to 17 must be accompanied by a parent, guardian, or carer. Those over 18 are welcome to bring a companion.
To request a place or find out more, email HeathrowBAautism@heathrow.com. Please include the following details for everyone attending:
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